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Martha Hoover, ’80, is once again under consideration for the James Beard Foundation Awards’ Best Restaurateur honor. Hoover was a semifinalist for this award in 2013 and 2016. There are 11 restaurants under her Patachou Inc. umbrella, and her Patachou Foundation delivers meals to food insecure children. She was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame in 2015 in recognition of her work. Hoover also served on the IU McKinney Board of Visitors.

Other nominees with IU McKinney connections include chef Abbi Merriss at Bluebeard, which is owned by Ed Battista, ’14. Merriss has been nominated for Best Chef, Great Lakes Region, the same honor for which she was considered in 2016. Bluebeard was a semifinalist for the Best New Restaurant Award in 2013.